


fight for

by thisissirius



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Angst, M/M, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-06
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-08-19 22:53:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8227502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisissirius/pseuds/thisissirius
Summary: Fear overwhelms Victoria. “Where were you?”
   “The quarry,” Robert says, without hesitation. He runs a finger over one of the gouges. Victoria pulls his hands away as he looks up at her. “Aaron fell. I tried to hold him up, Vic, I really did.”





	

**Author's Note:**

> i'm hoping this isn't terrible. i have a horrible fear robert is ooc, but i was thinking about the hospital scenes and how robert literally has a breakdown in the lodge. i just imagined how he would react to potentially losing aaron. i can't imagine anything worse for him than the scenario in this scene (beyond losing aaron, of course). 
> 
> based on the october spoilers. with exceptions for paddy and cain. 
> 
> hope you all like!

Victoria keeps her forehead pressed to the window as she watches the world rush by. 

She’s keeping a tight grip on her phone, leg bouncing against the floor of the car as they speed through traffic. Adam’s at the wheel, grip knuckle-white as he curses under his breath. She wishes she could just click her fingers and they’d instantly be in the hospital. 

_Vic, can you — I’m in the hospital — I need — Aaron is — Vic, please._

Robert’s words had been slow, slurred and shaky, a combination she’s never heard from him before, not even when he was in the hospital post-shooting. It’s frightening her, wishing that she could be with Robert, to find out what’s going on. 

“I should call Chas,” she says eventually, when even Adam’s stopped muttering. “If something’s happened to Aaron—”

She’s been holding off talking about it, fresh on the back of Holly’s funeral. Adam’s already untethered, she doesn’t want to see him lose any more of himself. He nods, though keeps his eyes on the road. There’s a tightness to his jaw that she recognises, worried about Aaron just the way she is. 

They’re still miles out from Hotten General, which makes Victoria antsy. She wants to be with her brother. Still, the call to Chas is distracting enough; she dials through, ignoring the shaking of her hands as she presses the handset to her ear. 

They pass a supermarket, a garage, a car wash. Eventually Chas picks up, breathless as she says, “Vic?”

Vic closes her eyes, tries not to imagine the look on Chas’s face. “Chas, is anyone with you?”

There’s a pause. “Victoria.”

“Is there someone with you?” Victoria stresses. She’s not fool enough to think that Chas won’t be able to tell what’s going on. 

“Tell me,” Chas says, her voice hard. 

Victoria hears Lisa in the background and lets out a slow breath. “Something’s happened to Aaron. Robert called me from the hospital, said that — I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s Aaron.”

This time, the pause is longer. She can hear Chas breathing heavy on the end of the phone and then Lisa’s voice. “Victoria, love? Is everything okay?”

“Chas needs to get to the hospital,” Victoria replies, her throat dry. She doesn’t know anything, feels like she’s panicking them for nothing, but Robert wouldn’t sound like that if Aaron was fine, if nothing was wrong. “It’s Aaron.”

Lisa promises that she’ll find a way to get Chas there and hangs up.

Dropping her phone into her lap, Victoria finally pushes off the window and sinks lower into the seat. “How much longer?”

“As fast as I can, babe,” Adam says, reaching over to grasp her hand quickly. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

It’s as much to console himself as her, Victoria knows, but she clings to it anyway. It will be fine. It _has_ to be. 

 

When they arrive at the hospital, Victoria makes a beeline for the reception desk. When it’s obvious the receptionists are more concerned with pushing forms on them than anything else, Adam takes over. Victoria’s happy to let him, eyes scanning the corridors just in case. She doesn’t see Robert, doesn’t see much of anything except some half-sick people in the waiting room, and a guy in a wheelchair trying to open the toilet door. She wants to help, but she wants to see Robert more. 

“Babe,” Adam says, a hand at the base of her spine. “Come on.”

She follows Adam through a set of double doors and around the corner. 

Robert’s at the end of a long hallway, sitting on a plastic chair, elbows resting on his knees and fingers tangled in his wet, matted hair. Her heart breaks and she rushes to him, voice barely above a whisper. “Robert?”

When he looks up, it takes a moment for his eyes to track her properly. “Vic?”

It worries her, how confused and lost he is. “It’s okay, I’m here.”

“Who called you?” Robert says, unfurling a little. He drops his hands to his knees and Victoria’s shocked to see blood coating his fingers. When she flicks her eyes to his hair, she can see streaks of red amongst the blond. It makes her feel sick. 

“You did.” She looks up at Adam, who shrugs, though there’s obvious worry in his eyes. 

“I didn’t—” Robert shivers. “I’m cold.”

He’s wet, Victoria realises, trousers soaked and shirt clinging to his chest. “Adam, do you have spare clothes in the car?”

Adam nods, and without a word, heads off back the way they came. 

Victoria presses a hand to Robert’s cheek. “What happened, Robert?”

Robert blinks, stares down at his hands. “He was — he was bleeding, Vic.”

“Where is he?” Victoria asks. She rubs her thumb against Robert’s cheek, trying not to feel hurt at his flinch. He draws away from her, curling his hands back in his hair.

“They airlifted him. They told me to wait here.” He shuts his eyes, lets out a soft noise that sounds suspiciously like a sob. “I don’t know what’s happening, Vic. He could be —”

It takes Victoria a moment to calm him down, and by the time she has, Adam’s reappeared, carrier bag in tow. She takes it gratefully. “Can you find out where Aaron is? I can’t get anything out of him.”

Adam nods, only too happy to have something else to do. “Take care of him, yeah?”

Victoria nods, pleased that Adam cares, even if he and Robert will never be close. “Come on, Robert. Let’s get you out of these clothes, okay?”

She feels sick and worried with how pliant Robert is under her hands as she tugs him up, leading him towards the toilets at the end of the hall. There’s a gash on his hand that concerns her, but she’s more worried about his constant shivering, the smudges of red on his hands, in his hair. 

“I want to know—”

“Adam’s gone to ask,” Victoria says, pressing Robert into the disabled loo, feeling the pang of guilt at preventing others from using it, but too concerned about Robert to care. He drops down onto the stool reserved for disability aid, blinking slow. He tries to undo the buttons on his shirt, but he’s shaking too much. Batting his hands away, Victoria helps him out, undoing his shirt. As soon as it falls open, she feels sick. There are deep gouges in his chest and stomach, one winding up towards the scar already blossoming out across his chest. They’re red, raw and still bloody in places. “Robert, what happened?”

Robert looks down, frowning. He looks as surprised as she is. “I tried to stop Aaron. I slid across the floor.”

Fear overwhelms Victoria then. “Where were you?”

“The quarry,” Robert says, without hesitation. He runs a finger over one of the gouges. Victoria pulls his hands away as he looks up at her. “Aaron fell. I tried to hold him up, Vic, I really did.”

He cries, then, soundless sobs that shudder through him. Victoria wants to hug him, but she doesn’t want to cause any more damage to his already wounded body. She settles for running a hand through his hair, kissing his temple, though mindful of the blood. She can’t imagine it, though her mind tries. Aaron hanging off the side of the quarry, Robert sliding across the dirt; both of them terrified. 

A knock interrupts them. “Vic?”

After she unlocks and opens it, Adam pokes his head around the door. He takes one look at her, at Robert, and she sees his face shift from concern to horror and back to concern. “They’re treating Aaron. It’s not —” He drops his voice, quiet enough that Robert can’t hear. “It doesn’t look good.”

He sounds just as wretched and upset as Robert. It cuts Victoria too, to think of one of her best friends fighting for his life. She can’t focus on that, has to deal with Robert. “Can you get a nurse? I’m worried about those cuts.”

“I’m fine,” Robert says, pushing himself to his feet. There’s a horrible second where he wobbles enough that he looks like he’ll fall, before he drops back down onto the bench. His eyes meet Adam’s. “Aaron?”

Adam pauses, and Victoria can see the indecision on his face. Adam’s never been the best at hiding his feelings, but he does so now, pushing down the hurt and worry for Aaron to give Robert a weak smile. “They’re working on it, Rob, okay?”

Robert just nods jerkily, still shivering. Victoria grips Adam’s arm and squeezes. “I know this is hard for you, babe. If you—”

Adam kisses the top of her head. “Paddy’s here and Chas is coming. I’ve got people.” He looks at Robert, sympathetic and sad. “Make sure he’s got you, okay?”

“You’re a good man, Adam Barton.” Victoria gives him one more squeeze. “Please get a nurse in here.”

Adam promises that he will, and shuts the door between them. 

 

 

The nurse takes one look at the gouges on Robert’s body and whisks him off to a cubicle. Victoria takes a moment to compose herself before pushing open the door and stepping back out. Her promise to Rob to find him and keep him updated on Aaron rings true, though she’s worried about just what information she’ll be passing on. 

Adam’s pacing the end of the hall, Paddy taking up Robert’s abandoned plastic chair. There’s something wet and dirty on the seat beside him. 

“What’s that?”

There’s a look of panic on Adam’s face, but Paddy’s already holding them up. Sleeves, Victoria realises, and feels sick all over again. “Oh god.”

“Vic,” Adam says, pulling her into a hug. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not,” Victoria says, feeling tears wet her face. “They’re Aaron’s.”

“What do you mean they’re Aaron’s?”

Victoria pulls away from Adam to see Chas, Cain and Lisa not feet away. Mascara smudged and cheeks red with tears, Chas looks a step away from losing it. Lisa has a hand on her arm, and Cain is a step away, ready for — whatever it is Cain gets ready for. Victoria’s stretched too thin already, worry for Aaron gnawing at her, concern about Robert’s behaviour all-consuming. “Robert said—”

“If Sugden’s responsible for this,” Cain snaps. 

“Robert _saved_ him!” Victoria shoots back, and watches Chas’ irritation with Cain turn to shock and then confusion. The anger and fear Victoria’s been nursing since Robert’s phone call erupts in a burst. “Aaron fell over the edge of the quarry. Robert tried to stop him falling!”

There’s a horrible, tense silence that follows her words. Chas chokes on her sobs, Cain wrapping his arms around her. Lisa looks shocked, sick to her stomach, and Victoria hates this, doesn’t really know what else happened, and nobody is _saying anything_. 

Adam kisses her temple. He’s shaking himself, and Victoria’s ashamed with herself. 

“Are you okay?”

Adam nods, though she can tell he’s not. “I’ll see if I can—”

The double doors behind them swing open and a doctor appears, tired, with an expression that speaks volumes. He looks like he’s about to deliver terrible news. Victoria feels the bottom drop out of her stomach. 

 

 

Robert’s sitting on a bed, a finger running down the dressings on his stomach and chest. Victoria watches him, heart aching, before she pushes forward, wrapping her fingers around his wrist. Robert’s eyes are still tracking slowly, but Victoria has to hope that if anything were really wrong, the nurse would have caught it. 

“How’s Aaron?” Robert asks immediately. His fingers twitch in her grasp.

She lets out a sob and watches his face fall, the horror and shock overwhelming everything else. She presses a hand to his face. “Hey, no, no, he’s alive, Robert.”

There’s a moment’s hesitation, almost like he’s not sure she’s telling the truth, and then he just sags, choking on a sob. It sounds just like Chas’ cries, the ones Victoria’s been desperate to get away from. 

“He’s in a coma,” Victoria says, pressing on. Robert tenses under her hands, but she forces herself to keep going. “They’re worried he won’t — he hit his head when he went under the water.”

“I know,” Robert says, voice a mere whisper. 

The doctor had been more forthcoming than Robert, explaining the accident in detail. They all listened with horror as the doctor outlined how Aaron had fallen, his sleeves in Robert’s hand. Robert rushed to the bottom, struggled to find and then pull Aaron from the water. He’d been doing CPR when the Paramedics arrived, not that anyone knows who called them. It had taken both Paramedics to pull Robert away, desperate as he was to keep working on Aaron, to keep him alive. He saved Aaron’s life, the doctor explained, though they were still worried there would be brain damage when Aaron woke up. Victoria keeps that part to herself, unable to tell Robert, to break him anymore than he already is.

“You saved him, Robert. You did.”

Robert shakes his head, face crumpling. She’s never seen him this upset before, not even at their mother’s grave. “I can’t lose him, Vic. I don’t know what I’ll — I’m nothing without him.”

It hurts to hear it, but she can understand. Losing Holly made her realise just what Adam means to her. It’s taken time to realise just how much Robert loves Aaron, but it’s been more obvious lately. 

“Chas and Paddy are in with him now,” Victoria says. “Come on, it’ll be your turn next.”

Robert follows her back to where everyone else is waiting. He runs his eyes over those gathered and then grabs hold of Vic’s arm. “Where’s Liv? She needs to know.”

Victoria’s heart swells at the love so obvious in his expression. She’s proud of how he’s grown, how inclusive he is with Liv. “She’s with Moira,” Victoria assures him. “She’ll bring Liv later, I promise.”

Robert nods, then stiffens as Chas stands, approaching them. Her eyes are wet, makeup a lost cause, and Victoria’s heart breaks for her all over again. Aaron is her only child, and if anything were to happen — 

“I’m so sorry, love,” Chas says, cupping Robert’s face in her hands. “You saved my boy.”

Robert’s face crumples, closing his eyes as Chas draws him into a hug, hand on the back of his head. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

He keeps up the litany as Chas shushes him, both of them crying through their words. Victoria aches for them both. Adam pulls her towards him, wrapping her up in his arms. She sinks into him, not knowing where he’s getting his strength from, but she’s never been more grateful. 

“I know you’re hurting,” she says, clutching at his jacket. “After Holly—”

Adam nods, unable to speak, and they stay like that. Victoria can’t stop watching Robert and Chas, the brother who’s usually so composed and confident, who she loves despite his flaws, broken and lost in the arms of someone who until recently couldn’t stand him. 

It’s Aaron, she realises, that combines these two very different people. If anything happens to him—

 

 

Robert’s asleep across three chairs, curled up awkwardly in what has to be an uncomfortable position. Victoria’s got one hand wrapped around his ankle, brushing a thumb against the bone. Chas has his head in her lap, fingers brushing through his hair. It’s startling, and Victoria wonders if it’s not Chas’ way of coping with not having Aaron safe under her hands. 

That is, until Chas sighs. “He was going to ask Aaron to marry him.”

Everything stops. Victoria feels as if the breath has been punched out of her. Cain shifts uneasily by the window. “Sugden and our Aaron?”

Victoria bristles, but Chas is already scoffing. “You couldn’t keep them apart if you tried.”

“And you have,” Lisa throws out. 

Paddy makes a thoughtful noise. “Did he actually do it?”

“I don’t know,” Chas says, fingers stilling in Robert’s hair. 

It’s the first Victoria’s heard, though Robert’s been talking to her about Aaron a lot lately. About commitment and love. Everything falls into place and she can’t believe she didn’t connect the dots, that Robert didn’t tell her. 

“Why didn’t he say anything?”

Chas gives her a soft, sad smile. “He wants Aaron to say yes. That doesn’t mean Aaron would.”

“He said yes,” Robert mumbles, startling them all. He sobs again, curling tighter around himself on the chairs. Chas’ hand is shaking in his hair. “He said yes and then he fell. The last thing I hear is _yes_ , and the last thing I see is him falling.”

The words seem to reverberate through the corridor, hitting them all. Victoria closes her eyes, trying to shut out everything; Robert, Chas, the thought of Aaron dying. 

“If he dies—”

“He’s not going to,” Chas says, sounding more certain then Victoria expects. “Because you saved him.”

Robert shakes, blinking at Victoria. She nods, shaky, and Robert lets out a breath. “Okay,” he says, fingers flexing against his chest. “Okay.”

 

 

Victoria rests a hand on Robert’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. He’ll wake up.”

Robert takes a shaky breath, and gives her a weak smile, a shadow of his normal smug, confident expression on his face. “’Course he will.”

He pushes open the door, and Victoria’s left in the corridor, clinging to the brief expression of hope she’d seen on Robert’s face.

**Author's Note:**

> join me on [tumblr](http://sapphicsugden.tumblr.com) if you like :D


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